From A Distance
by lovesucker
Summary: [REPOST] Over the years, Sakura has denied herself of holding any feelings for Sasuke. And when he returns, she is going to prove that she has finally let go of her childish crush. But can Sasuke get over it? SasuSaku
1. Little Secrets

**_Author's Note: _**This is dedicated to all those who had reviewed this before it was deleted! Ehehe! So sorry about that by the way!

**F R O M . A . D I S T A N C E**

_1. Little Secrets_

_**XXXXXxxxxxXXXXXX**_

"Sakura-chan! Hey!" Naruto came jogging up to the pink-haired shinobi, stopping a foot in front of her to catch his breath, finding it easier to do so without straining his lungs by resting his hands on his thighs in the process. Sakura had paused mid-step to tilt her head at the blond in front of her.

"Naruto? What are you…? I thought…you were on a mission…you're not supposed to be back until tomorrow…"

She was clearly confused. She had remembered him saying that his mission, which he refused to unveil and remain secrecy…

"_Sorry Sakura-chan…" He rubbed the hair at the back of his head sadly "hokage's orders." _he had explained, would take him two weeks to complete, maybe longer.

Naruto quickly recovered and trapped Sakura in a big bear hug.

"N-Nar…!" Sakura's voice was muffled by the unexpected display of affection. She didn't think he had the energy to embrace her as tightly as he did in his state.

"Sakura-chan! Ahh! It's been so long!" She was happy that he was back nonetheless. It had been quite some time. Her days were rather boring without the hyperactive teen around. He was always there to keep her company, make her laugh, and make the simplest thing seem amusing to her.

"_Hey Sakura-chan."_

"_Yeah?"_

"_Look what I can do!" With one spoon in hand, he placed it on his nose, his arms at the side of his face for balance. _

"_Tada!"_

_She turned from the window she was staring out of at the Ichiraku Noodle Shop to watch his playful antics from across to where she sat. She giggled and rolled her eyes._

"_Naruto, you're unbelievable."_

_At that, he just smiled. "Oh yeah? Treat you to Rose Garden tomorrow if you can do it too!"_

_Sakura never backed down on a challenge, especially when it was from Naruto._

"_You're on!" _

She had indeed missed those days where they'd hang out together during her lunch break. She rarely had anytime to actually talk with him at all. With her busy schedule at the hospital, it was impossible for her to do anything with anyone anymore. But it was partly her fault. She was the one who signed up for it in the first place. But that was to occupy herself for the time being while Naruto went off to missions. She thought it unfair. Why didn't they ever assign her missions? It wasn't like she was incapable of fighting or strategizing. In fact, she was quite good at both. So what was the matter?

_Damn sexist…_She had silently amended in her head, forgetting that she had to breath.

She gasped, coughed a few times, and cursed at Naruto for forgetting she was human, and that she needed air to live.

Naruto quickly backed away and rubbed his nose sheepishly.

"Sorry Sakura-chan, it's just…been so long…"

Sakura gave out an exasperated growl.

"It was just two weeks! Two. _Weeks._ Fourteen days can't compare to how long it's been since…! Since…!"

Sakura stopped herself from saying anything more. She embarrassingly darted her eyes to her left, reluctant to see Naruto's reaction after her outburst.

There was the other reason why she signed up to help out at the hospital.

To keep herself from thinking…

…about _him_…

Naruto's eyes softened, and he couldn't help but feel responsible for her sudden outburst. She had changed so much over the years…drastically.

Slowly, she dropped her head, her hair and bangs blocking her eyes from view.

He was the only person she had actually willed herself to grow close to after…

"Naruto…I'm so sorry…"

She had done it again. Overreacted.

Naruto shook his head. "Naw, it's ok. Hey, do you wanna go eat someplace?"

It was Sakura's turn to shake her head.

"You go on ahead. I have some errands to run."

"Oh ok then. I'll come by the hospital tomorrow if you're still up for Ichiraku's."

Sakura waved her hand as she started on her way. "Sounds good."

"Same time?"

"The usual. See you then!" She replied before disappearing.

Naruto stared after her.

_Sakura-chan…_

_**XXXXXxxxxxXXXXXX**_

She sat at the edge of the Hokage Monument, looking over the village, her legs dangling in the air. She felt totally at peace whenever she came up here. She didn't have to think, didn't have to worry about what was going on. That's what she loved about this place.

_**XXXXXxxxxxXXXXXX**_

Naruto leaned back against a tree, eyes closed and arms folded over his chest.

"You're killing her, you know."

Out of the shadow, stepped a dark figure. "We all die eventually."

Naruto appeared behind him, glaring at the back of his head.

"I see you haven't changed a bit, _Sasuke_."

"Hn."

"You wouldn't even care if she died out of depression."

"You read my mind."

Naruto raised a fist. "Bastard!" He jumped on him, but Sasuke just smirked and disappeared.

He still sensed his chakra, but he was nowhere in sight.

"…_we'll meet again_..." The forest echoed.

Naruto looked up at the trees looming over the forest in sickly green masses.

"…damn…"

_**XXXXXxxxxxXXXXXX**_

**_Author's Note:_** Just a reminder, this is a repost. The reason for my absence in is that I went to the Philippines to visit my relatives and well, have a blast of course! And you know how it is; you don't want to be tied down to the things back home when you're on vacation. So I decided to delete all my fics for the time being until I get back. What I wrote, "**I am truly sincere that it has come to this but I was given no choice**", was a lie. Ehehe…I just didn't want to worry about my fics while I was enjoying myself and getting reacquainted with my cousins, whom I haven't seen for eight years in my parents native homeland. I hope you understand. And you don't have to worry about my other works. I'll post them up soon so just sit back and relax! My stories aren't going anywhere again (cross your fingers)!

**love sucks always,  
**_**lovesucker**_


	2. State of Mind

**F R O M . A . D I S T A N C E**

_2. State of Mind_

**_XXXXXxxxxxXXXXXX _**

"I'll be back in a bit! Make sure he takes his medications at _exactly _twelve, no later, no earlier!" Sakura called out over her shoulder as she pushed through the hospital entrance.

"Ms. Haruno! Wait! But I-!"

Tenten sighed and lowered her hand.

_Just missed her._

_Again…_

She took a long breath and exhaled.

_You can do this!_

Her eyes burned with determination.

_You know you can!_

"Mr. Yukishiro, was it? Hi, I'll be your caretaker until Ms. Haruno comes back. My name is Tenten…just, Tenten." She hated how she didn't have a last name.

"Would you like anything until then?"

_**XXXXXxxxxxXXXXXX**_

"Good day, Ms. Haruno."

Sakura bowed her head in response. "Nice weather, isn't it?" She lied, she all but hated fall.

"Indeed." And the passerby went off.

Sakura made it to the bottom the steps and breathed deeply.

"Sakura-chan! Over here!"

She smiled, a small but happy smile, at spotting Naruto at the corner of the street. She easily walked across the street—no cars were present at the time—and was escorted by Naruto to Ichiraku's just a few blocks ahead of them.

"So how was the hospital?"

"Quite busy. I'm glad I got the chance to get out of there. I couldn't stand being stuck in there any longer."

"That bad?"

Sakura nodded. "So how about you? Anything new?"

Naruto lazily entwined his hands at the back of his head, staring up at the slightly gray clouds above him. "Nope."

Sakura knew he was lying, but let it pass. She wasn't in the mood to question him. She never really was in the mood to talk that much at all.

They entered Ichiraku's, the small jingling of the doorbell reverberated throughout the shop. Some people looked up to see who had entered, most just went back to their own business.

They took a seat near the window, their typical spot.

"So what'll you have?" Naruto asked.

"The usual." Sakura's eyes drifted to the window, just staring into space. Naruto's brows formed into a worried line.

"Sakura-chan?"

"Mm?" She turned to face him.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah, of course. Never been better." She gave a half smile then returned her attention to the outside world.

"Sakura-chan?"

"What is it, Naruto?" She was kind of getting a little ticked at him always asking these same questions. Sure, she was glad he was concerned, but he was overdoing it.

"You'd tell me if anything was wrong, right?"

"Of course." And she stared out the window again.

"Anything?"

"Yes Naruto, anything." She was losing her patience.

He hesitated, but pressed on "How have you been doing…since he left?"

Everything grew silent in her head. She could not hear the laughter and talking of the people around, the clanking of glasses, or the shuffling of chairs. All that she heard was the ticking of a clock. She felt like she was being pulled by some unknown force into a dark, secluded room.

_Where am I…? _She wondered in the back of her head.

"Sakura?"

No response.

"Sakura?"

No response.

"Sakura…" He reached over the table and lightly shook her shoulder. "Hey…"

"Hm? Oh. Sorry about that…I kind of drifted…what was that again?"

Maybe she wasn't ready for this yet.

"Nothing." Naruto shook his head and smiled. "Nothing important" He reassured her.

_**XXXXXxxxxxXXXXXX**_

**_Author's Note: _**Well, there you have it! Chapter Two at its best! Though I had to make a minor adjustment to the beginning because, well, uhh… I accidentally deleted it? (SMILES) Hope it's no big deal though. Sounds just like the original! I swear!

**love sucks always,  
**_**lovesucker**_


	3. Night Walks

**F R O M . A . D I S T A N C E**

_3. Night Walks_

**_XXXXXxxxxxXXXXXX _**

Sakura raised her head from her status report that she had been slaving over for the past hour, tapping her pencil lightly on the side of her lips in quiet contemplation every now and then.

Mr. Yukishiro's health had improved immensely over the short period of time that he had taken up residency in the Memorial Hospital. Since he was first brought in, everyone had thought he to be the last of his regiment to recover. It was a miracle how he had survived a beheading. It still sounded absurd to her even now that she was writing all his progress down. The story goes that he had been beheaded by one of Orichimaru's minions; his lifeless body set in a pool of his blood, his unconscious head laid nearby infested with maggots. As minutes passed, more maggots arrived and began feasting on the corpse. But he was not a corpse just yet. Somehow, the maggots managed to form a bridge between his lifeless body and head**. **His body hadn't succumbed to death. He was in momentary shock, or at least his body was. His body reacted to the impact quickly, shutting down to preserve his bodily systems. You could say his body was hibernating. Of course, he was just as much still a ticking time bomb. But the maggots saved him from his ill-fated future.

Sakura was so fascinated by this that she did some reading up on it. She found out that maggots secrete enzymes which break down dead and decayed tissue, which they eat. They will not however, feast on or attack healthy tissue. Maggots consume the tissue along with the bacteria which infects it, healing wounds; remarkably, even faster than a doctor can! This man had truly been kissed by an angel! She already knew why God did not take his life there and then. It would've been a waste for this man to have been dead to never meet her to fill her days with high spirits.

She was amazed to find that such a man with such a high ranking, who had slain bodies throughout his life, had such a jocund composure. His free-spirited, charasmatic, somewhat "lazy" attitude was what made her look forward to coming down to the hospital everyday. He was what made Naruto's absence bearable, acting as his replacement. Throwing herself in a room with a beheaded patient, you'd expect constant assistance. But no, not Mr. Yukishiro, he was far from helpless.

_"Young lady, what are you doing?"_

_Sakura paused from fluffing his pillow, surprised at hearing the voice. She thought he had fallen asleep. "I-I was just making you more at ease."_

_"I'm fine, mind you." And he twisted his head to study her. "Tell me. Have you ever thought that a patient might be offended by all this unnecessary attention?"_

_"I-I was just doing my job..."_

_"Well, I'm an anbu leader and I can fluff my own pillows." _

_Sakura's eyes widened in horror when he lifted his head with all his might to only bang it on his pillow. Countless times._

_"Mr. Yukishiro! Please! Let me help you! You're neck has yet fully healed!"_

_"I" bang "am" bang "in adequate conditi--"_

_Snap_

_"Ahh! My NECK!"_

_Sakura quickly ran to his side. "Mr. Yukishiro! Oh god!" She carefully checked his neck for any fractures._

_Her eyes drew into tiny dots as she noticed Mr. Yukishiro was trying to suppress a laugh, which he wasn't quite doing a very good job at._

_"Gotcha!" And he pulled back his pillow to reveal the source of the snapping sound: a slap stick, the instrument they used on New Year's to make a racket._

_"I told you I'm as fit as an ox!" Mr. Yukishiro boasted, and he flexed his arms to make him more credible. _

Oh yeah...Still got it.

_"Sakura, I may be old but I'm not--Sakura? Sakura!"_

_He spotted the pink haired nurse assistant on the floor. _

_"Sakura!"_

He told her about his youth while she watched over him, how he was a problem child from the start and all the world knew it. That's why he saw becoming an anbu as his calling. Kicking ass, being a hero, that was nice for a change from being the one whose ass everyone wanted to kick and who was seen as the bad guy instead. He just reminded her too much of a blonde shinobi who had ran off to perform these greater ideals.

"Haruno Sakura please report to the head nurse's office immediately. Once again, Haruno Sakura, your presence is requested in the head nurse's office. Please be prompt."

She fancied the thought of ignoring the blaring intercom above her head. She wanted to get this in today so that tomorrow she could have a real day off.

"What now?" she whispered under her breath, scrawling hurriedly before pushing her seat back.

She felt a light chill ride up her spine as she made her way to Tsunade-sama's office. Maybe that could be explained by the time. She glanced at the clock at the front desk and it read one fifty one a.m. The front desk was empty, which only greatened the magnitude of eeriness.

'Where is everybody?' she wondered in the back of her head.

Every little sound got her whipping her head in every direction. She was losing it. She had been in the hospital for far too long. She really needed to cut her hours short.

* * *

"You wanted to see me?" Sakura squinted her eyes as darkness greeted her on the other side of the door.

"Hello?" She called out. Nothing moved in the room, it appeared to be unoccupied.

"Hello?" She popped her head inside and scanned it, not sensing anyone's chakra. She felt the wall beside her for a light switch, and flicked it on when she found it. Just as she had thought. Someone, a coworker most probable, was playing a cruel joke on her.

"Very funny," She muttered under her breath.

She reached out to turn off the light switch, sighing as she became greatly aware of the hour. Sleep deprivation was taking it's toll on her body. A yawn escaped from her lips and she yelped when a hand snaked out and covered it for her.

Her eyes widened as she caught glimpse of her portrayors face before he shut the rest of the light escaping through the door's crack, the light that had reflected off blood red sharingan eyes...

She hyperventalated. She remembered who this was. A friend years ago. A colleague. Her infatutation.

But a traitor! A traitor nonetheless!

She wriggled out of his grasp, fighting back the tears that she knew were coming.

So she really did want him back.

But not this way...

She got into a fighting stance.

"Sakura..."

She hesitated after hearing his voice for the longest time, her knees almost gave in for a second.

She shook her head.

"What are you doing her!" She bit back.

"Kidnapping you."


End file.
